Stranger Things’ David Harbour Has Got Insanely Ripped To Play Hellboy

We all have to make commitments when we start a new job. For a majority of the population, that simply means a different morning routine to accommodate new working hours or a slightly more demanding commute to the office. But it’s what we have to do in order to fulfill our career dreams – or to simply line our bank accounts.
However, different jobs require a different focus. Just ask David Harbour who had to quickly transform his body from the fun, and slightly chunky, Chief Hopper in the smash-hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, to the insanely ripped half-demon, Hellboy.
The 42-year-old actor, who has found himself more popular than most A-list celebrities combined after the success of Stranger Things, is set to play the well-meaning demon in the latest installment of the supernatural Hellboy franchise, which sees the red giant, and unlikely hero, “square off against a medieval sorceress who seeks to destroy humankind.”
Based on that premise, it is easy to assume that Harbour was hired for Hellboy because of his saving-the-world experience. After all, he is the undisputed (and again, unlikely) hero of Stranger Things. Other than his ability to save the day, Harbour appears to share very little else in common with the half-demon, who was summoned from Hell to Earth as a baby.
However, the New York native has now dramatically bulked up his frame in order to portray the gruff half-demon, making it hard to distinguish the equally gruff Chief Hopper in-amongst the bulging muscles.
The Tony Award-nominated actor has openly discussed his distaste for physical activity. “I was a chubby kid growing up,”he explained via his personal trainer’s official website, making it difficult for anyone to picture him as the menacing Hellboy.

“Straight out of college, I did my first play, which I got pretty in shape for, but I let that go completely. So from about the time I was 26 years old, to about now, I haven’t really been training at the gym seriously at all.“

“I still consider myself a novice at this,” he says, referring to the rigorous workout regime he had to commit to in order to bulk up for the role, which he will take over from Ron Perlman.

“The fans are what are keeping me motivated through everything. As well as the audience that will come see the movie and the haters out there who have decided to make their opinion known before a scene has even been shot. I’ve got something to prove to all three. I really want to do justice to this character and create a Hellboy that everyone can get behind.”

When Harbour was announced as the new Hellboy, fans were ecstatic. However, others had reservations. “Honestly I thought I would HATE David Harbour as #Hellboy but…OH MY GODS!! I love it!” tweeted one excited fan of the franchise after seeing the initial poster for the film which is set for release in January 2019.
“Chief Hopper from Stranger Things is portraying #Hellboy.. Yeah I’m so geeked for this!” wrote another user on Twitter.
However, some fans were skeptical of Harbour’s dad-bod to hot-bod transformation. “This looks really good … I wonder how much of the body is prosthetics,” questioned one curious user online.
Meanwhile, others hoped that Harbour would maintain his viral Stranger Things body for the role: “Very much hope that they don’t make David Harbour get cut for Hellboy, I would like him to be just a big, soft, dadbod Hellboy.”
Meanwhile, Harbour is getting accustomed to this new found interest in his physical appearance. “I’ve always had a thing where I thought that movie stars… I just feel like they’re so damn good-looking,” he once said, before adding: “There’s no way you’d put [my] face as the frontman.”
“I never thought I was pretty enough to be on camera,” the Quantum of Solace actor said, clearly oblivious to his future on the screen which would attract hoards of female and male fans all desperate to get his attention.
Hellboy is set for release on January 11, 2019. So start your New Year the right way, with a little bit of David Harbour in your life… Well, at least until Season Three of Stranger Things arrives.